Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Buys New Shares in Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired 63,675 shares of Freshpet, Inc., valued at approximately $5.3 million, representing about 0.13% ownership as of the latest quarter.
• Freshpet's stock experienced a trading decline, reaching $53.20, with a twelve-month high of $164.07 and a market capitalization of $2.6 billion.
• Insider trading activity included Director Timothy R. Mclevish acquiring 3,500 shares, increasing their position by 11.01%, while total insider purchases last quarter amounted to 4,630 shares valued at $259,656.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 63,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,296,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.13% of Freshpet as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FRPT shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $65.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 8th. TD Cowen cut shares of Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $96.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $90.00 target price on shares of Freshpet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Freshpet presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Timothy R. Mclevish purchased 3,500 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $56.00 per share, with a total value of $196,000.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 35,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,240. The trade was a 11.01% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jacki Sue Kelley purchased 814 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $56.50 per share, with a total value of $45,991.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 11,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,745.50. This trade represents a 7.34% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 4,630 shares of company stock valued at $259,656. Company insiders own 4.43% of the company's stock.

Freshpet Stock Performance

NASDAQ FRPT traded up $1.62 on Friday, hitting $54.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,354,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,429,650. Freshpet, Inc. has a one year low of $52.27 and a one year high of $164.07. The company has a quick ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $63.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $264.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.75 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 4.82%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.03) EPS. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

About Freshpet

Freshpet, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and markets natural fresh meals and treats for dogs and cats in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It sells dog food, cat food, and dog treats under the Freshpet brand name; and Dognation and Dog Joy labels through various classes of retail, including grocery, mass, club, pet specialty, and natural, as well as online.